The now ubiquitous typeface Times New Roman was developed in 1931 for The Times of London under the leadership of Monotype’s typographic consultant, Stanley Morison.

Morison had convinced the newspaper management that a new typeface was required. After unsatisfactory trials with Perpetua, Baskerville and Plantin (although that typeface showed much promise), from January 1931 Morison directed Monotype draftsman Victor Lardent to develop a new and sharper design based on his sketches. The design we know benefits from a Plantin-like large x-height, and short descenders; it is slightly narrower than Plantin. All three characteristics make it economical for a newspaper: they can use less space, setting the type small, without compromising legibility. More…

The first version of the typeface was ready in three sizes by June 1931, a remarkably short time, although the newspaper did not use “the Times’ New Roman” until 3 October 1932.

The design has been adapted for almost every printing technology. Linotype soon took up the design, where it was known simply as “Times”.

Since the desktop publishing revolution Times New Roman (or Times) has been a standard font, often the default font, inside printers and operating systems: with probably billions of documents referring to Times by name, the immortality of this design is guaranteed.